Behind every piece of beautiful music there is a moving story. The horse-bone Hu art in Zhuang culture shows people a story passed down from generation to generation. Horse-bone Hu is the symbol of Zhuang people's spirit.
Although the horse bone Hu is just a musical instrument, its profound cultural heritage is enough for all of us to learn and study deeply. Now, let me show you the Zhuang horse bone Hu music culture unique to the Zhuang ethnic group.
The horse-bone Hu is a folk musical instrument favored by the Zhuang people. It is named after the barrel is made of horse bones. Horse bone beard, also known as "bone beard". Zhuang's traditional stringed musical instrument, wiping string type. In Zhuang language, it is called "Ran Du", also known as "Ran Lie" and "Ran Sen". "Ran" means "Hu" in Zhuang language, and "Du" means bone, hence the name. "Lie" and "Sen" are Zhuang languages, meaning "small body and pitch".
The horse-bone Hu is beautiful in appearance, and the sound of the piano is melodious and crisp. When played, it is as sweet as pearls falling on a jade plate; it is also like a mountain stream flowing, euphemistic and moving, like pines in a person's arms, caressing the soul; like bursts of spring rain, Moisturizes things like silk and refreshes the mind and spleen. In the beautiful Zhuang countryside, on nights when the moon is white and the wind is light, young men from the Zhuang family often play intoxicating tunes and sweet melodies with horse bone hooks to express their love for their sweethearts. This sweet and intoxicating "Zhuang Township Serenade" often constitutes a unique scenery during a trip to Zhuang Township. Zhuang horse bone Hu art is popular in most Zhuang inhabited areas in western Guangxi and parts of Guizhou and Yunnan.
The horse bone Hu is a stringed instrument that originated from the Xiqin type. Since the early Qing Dynasty, with the further consolidation and development of a unified multi-ethnic country, cultural exchanges among various ethnic groups have become increasingly frequent, and many new varieties of stringed instruments have also been added. The famous Chinese music historian Mr. Yang Yinliu (1899-1984) recorded in "History of Ancient Chinese Music" (Chapter 34): "In the Qing Dynasty, in addition to the original two-stringed huqin or erhu, The four-stringed Sihu appeared again, and the Jinghu was specially used to accompany Peking Opera. Many stringed instruments also appeared in ethnic minority areas, such as the horse-bone Hu from the Zhuang people in Guangxi. "
According to an old Zhuang artist in the 1980s. First recollection: Zhuang Opera is now in its seventh generation. Our ancestors said that before there was Zhuang Opera, there were already people who performed Laran Lie. In the beginning, people often picked up Zhuang folk instruments such as horse bone Hu, tuhu, gourd Hu and Zhuang flute to play in nearby villages during festivals, which was called "Youyuan". This is the Zhuang folk instrumental ensemble - "Bayin" (It adopts the early form of eight main musical instrument ensembles, including horse bone Hu, Tu Hu, Calabash Hu, Sanxian, Zhuang flute, eight-note gong, eight-note drum, and small cymbals). Horse bone Hu has always been the main accompaniment instrument in the entire development and evolution process from Yong Opera - Bench Opera - "Tu Opera" - Zhuang Opera. In 1815, when a semi-professional Zhuang opera troupe was established in Longlin County, the horse bone Hu became the lead instrument of the Zhuang opera band.
Regarding the origin of horse bone Hu, there is such a touching story circulating in the village of Zhuangxiang, Guangxi: A long time ago, there lived here a smart and handsome girl Aran and a hardworking and brave young man. Ali, they grew up together as childhood sweethearts and love each other very much. Ali often pulled up Tuhu to express his true feelings to Aran, and Aran expressed his love with loud folk songs. There is a horse in Aran's family called "Four Hooves Snow". It is tall and strong, with shiny coat. It can walk like a boat and run like flying. It is famous far and near. One day, the chieftain wanted to buy "Four Hooves Snow" with "heavy money". When he saw Aran, who looked like a fairy, he also wanted to occupy it, so he ordered the people and horses to take it back to the cottage.